When Should I Use GoToMeeting/Webinar versus Skype for Business?

Since everyone at LSC has a Skype for Business account through Office 365, Skype is preferred when communicating with LSC employees. It can also be used to hold virtual meetings with outside parties, including people who don’t have a Skype subscription (they will be prompted to install Skype to join the meeting, at no cost). However, we sometimes have problems calling personal Skype accounts, and some businesses don’t allow Skype for Business calls outside their company, so Skype isn’t always a safe bet for external meetings.

Fun Fact: Skype for Business can accommodate up to 250 people in a meeting

GoToMeeting shouldn’t be necessary to communicate with LSC employees, but can be useful in contacting external parties (many of our grantees have used it for a long time). Like with Skype for Business, attendees do not need a paid account to join a meeting, and there tend to be fewer complications when dealing with people outside our company compared to Skype. GoToWebinar is particularly useful for large presentations that require hundreds of viewers.

Fun Fact: GoToMeeting can accommodate up to 25 participants. GoToWebinar can accommodate up to 500.

Unfun Fact: We only have two GoToMeeting/Webinar accounts for all of LSC, so the program must be used sparingly.